Red Sea Derby
| Location | CAF (Africa) AFC (Asia) |
|---|---|
| Teams | |
| First meeting | United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia 1961 Arab Games (3 September 1961) |
| Latest meeting | Saudi Arabia 2–1 Egypt 2018 FIFA World Cup (25 June 2018) |
| Statistics | |
| All-time series | Matches: 7 Egypt wins: 4 Draw: 1 Saudi Arabia wins: 2 |
The Red Sea Derby is a name given to the rivalry between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two powerhouses of the Arab world and also football powers in their respected continents, Africa and Asia. The two countries shared a similar Red Sea boundary, and thus gave rise to their rivalry with this proximity.[1]
Egypt took the lead with 4 wins, 1 draws and 2 losses. However, all Saudi wins happened to be in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.
History[edit]
Due to their geographical closeness, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have developed a long relationship, although the relations have been fraught between hostilities and rapproachment.[1] During the reign of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had fractious relations and often in confrontation with each other over the Arab affairs, known as the Arab Cold War.[2] The relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia experienced improvement after Abdel Nasser's death, although their differences remain substantial.[citation needed]
Following the Arab spring, Egypt elected a Muslim Brotherhood member, Mohamed Morsi, as President, which shocked Saudi Arabia due to Saudi opposition to MB.[3] In 2013, a coup sponsored by Saudi Arabia resulted in dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became President, removing the MB from power, leading to criticism that Saudi Arabia was helping the Egyptian junta to eliminate dissent.[4] In 2017, Egypt agreed to transfer four uninhabited islands to Saudi Arabia, which sparked outrage in Egypt.[5] This had resulted in booing of Saudi anthem and the Saudi national team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when the two met each other in a dead rubber match.[citation needed]
Matches[edit]
| # | Date | Venue | Home Team | Score | Away team | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 December 1972 |  Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca
|
United Arab Republic 
|
13−0 |  Saudi Arabia
|
1961 Arab Games |
| 2 | 23 December 1975 |  El Menzah Stadium, Tunis
|
Saudi Arabia
|
1−2 |  Egypt
|
1975 Palestine Cup of Nations |
| 3 | 14 November 1988 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
|
Saudi Arabia
|
0−0 |  Egypt
|
Friendly |
| 4 | 29 July 1999 |  Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
|
Egypt
|
1−5 | Saudi Arabia
|
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 5 | 14 March 2005 | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam
|
Saudi Arabia
|
0−1 | Egypt
|
Friendly |
| 6 | 25 November 2007 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo
|
Egypt
|
2−1 | Saudi Arabia
|
2007 Arab Games |
| 7 | 25 June 2018 |  Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
|
Saudi Arabia
|
2−1 | Egypt
|
2018 FIFA World Cup |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Makinde, Adeyinka. "The Saudi-Egyptian Rivalry: How a Football Match Reflected Geopolitical Relations" – via www.academia.edu.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia And Egypt: An Uneasy Relationship". Hoover Institution.
- ^ Hessler, Peter (19 June 2019). "Mohamed Morsi, Who Brought the Muslim Brotherhood to the Egyptian Presidency" – via www.newyorker.com.
- ^ Tahhan, Zena Al. "'Egyptian society being crushed' five years after military coup". Al Jazeera.
- ^ Walsh, Declan (14 June 2017). "Despite Public Outcry, Egypt to Transfer Islands to Saudi Arabia" – via NYTimes.com.